How did you choose your medicare supplement? Did you go to an insurance counselor?

DH turns 65 in Sept and has an appt with Soc Sec to start getting the next chapter of life lined up. (how did it get here so fast?)

I am trying to sort out the different options. Am I just stupid or is it terribly confusing? I am glad my dementia hasn't set in yet, or maybe it has and that is why this is so challenging for me.

I am wanting the best coverage that allows the biggest options for choices in physicians and hospitals. I am ruling out advantage plans for that reason, and the fact that MD Anderson doesn't accept them.

I am looking at Aetna Supplemental (who is our current insurer) and United (through AARP).

I am confused about the differences between the different policies all the way through F. I know some are higher but just trying to figure out if the advantages in coverage out weigh the costs differences.

I also noticed that there some policies that go up as you age and some don't. I don't mind paying more for better but I don't want to get screwed either.

So any of your good advice and shared experiences would be appreciated. 

A medicare supplement plan, regardless of you buy it from, is the same. An Aetna Plan F is the same Plan F that AARP has, the only difference is the price.
Aetna for the last few years has been one of the cheapest in the HOuston market. They are a great company.

The two most popular plans are Plan G and Plan F. The biggest difference is that Plan F pays the Part B and Part A deductible for you so you don't have to pay it out of pocket.

I recommend staying with Aetna for one main reason, you can build a relationship with an agent. The right agent will be able to guide you now and in the future. With AARP you are dealing with a call center, not to mention I am not a fan of AARP and their liberal political beliefs.
I have refused to join them for that reason, I am 56 years old. 

As far as the policies going up due to age - your insurer can't just raise your individual premium - the premium is raised for the entire age group, i.e. all the 70 year olds enrolled in their plan will pay the same rate, etc.

By the way, Medicare Part B is now $104/mo. so that will be deducted from your husband's SS check - and then you will have to pay your supplemental ins. on top of that. . . 

I'm not trying to distract from the topic of this thread, but I, too, have a question regarding Medicare.

My question is: because I retired at age 62 and am in the VA Healthcare system, do I have to enroll in Medicare when I turn 65 in October? 

My former employer turned all retiree medical over to an agency that takes care of our coverage. They have several options/companies with numerous plans to chose from and they contribute $XXX amount into an account for us so that we have the options to chose which company and deductibles, ect. we want.

We had been covered by United Healthcare prior to retiring, so I opted to select the AARP which offers United Healthcare.

So far, I've had a decent experience. It's kinda' confusing but at least I have options I can chose from for supplemental to Medicare. 

Eclipse -

VA health coverage isn't set in stone and isn't the same for everyone. The VA assigns enrollees to different priority levels according to various factors, such as income and whether they have any medical condition that derives from their military service. If federal funding drops, or doesn't keep pace with costs, some vets in the lower priority levels could lose VA coverage entirely.

Having both Medicare and VA benefits widens your coverage. If you need to go to a non-VA hospital or doctor, you?re automatically covered under Medicare Part A (hospitalization) and Part B (doctors and outpatient services)whereas with VA coverage alone, you may end up having to pay the full cost yourself. The VA has rules about who qualifies for coverage at non-VA facilities, even in emergencies.

If in the future, when you're well past 65, you happen to lose VA coverage or otherwise decide that you need Medicare and are not already signed up for Part B, you'd pay a late penalty to enroll at that time. The Part B penalty permanently adds an extra 10 percent to your monthly premium for each year that you delay. So if you wait five years to sign up for Part B and in that time you have no other health insurance apart from the VA, you'd pay 50 percent more for the same coverage for the rest of your life.

Your prescription drug coverage in the VA is much better than Medicare, so you don't need to join a Part D drug plan, and you wouldn't incur a Part D late-enrollment penalty if you lose VA coverage in the future. Still, if you do decide to have Part D coverage as well as the VA, you'd have the flexibility of being able to use one or the other. You could get prescriptions from non-VA doctors and fill them at local retail pharmacies instead of going to a VA doctor for a prescription and having it filled through the VA mail order service. And may be able to obtain medications that the VA doesn't cover.

I signed up for Medicare; will have a supplemental ins. policy when I retire this summer - am also eligible for ChampVA insurance - which I signed up for as well. The papers I filled out stated that if I have other insurance and use the VA system, the supplemental insurance will be billed too. The application said to attach my Medicare card. I filled out the application (and was approved) as a hedge against anything happening to Medicare/supplemental insurance, etc. I don't intend to use the VA for my primary healthcare needs. I really wanted it for the pharmacy benefits "just in case". I know some of that medicine is prohibitively expensive - and although I don't take hardly anything now, we never know what lies ahead. I will go ahead and take Part D anyway. 

There is a lot of good info in this thread even for those us not seniors yet.

I was talking to a gal at work who said at least when she retires all of her health benefits would be paid for though medicare. She didn't even know that medicare had a premium, let alone that it did not cover everything.

I'm learning a lot just as I read these posts and realizing how very little I know about medicare. I'm sure the average person is the same until they reach that certain age. 

I was talking to a gal at work who said at least when she retires all of her health benefits would be paid for though medicare. She didn't even know that medicare had a premium, let alone that it did not cover everything.

LOL - She's got a big surprise coming! Medicare, on average, coverages about 80% of medical costs and the other 20% as well as prescription costs are paid out of pocket or by a supplemental plan.

IF you are lucky, a former employer may provide some assistance to pay for supplemental coverage after retirement.

And yes, medicare premiums are taken out of you social security benefits every month.

With all that being said, keep in mind that some doctors are no longer accepting patients on medicare. 

ToidBoid,

Your post is very informative and I really appreciate it.

It's a lot to digest and I've definitely got some decisions to make.

Thanks again ...

Edited to Add; Because I have a Service Connected Disability, I don't have any copays so hopefully the system will out live me. 

Yes hubs has a service-connected disability too - he goes to the VA for his prescriptions only (so far) - he's being treated at M.D. Anderson and is not going to switch his care.

His supplemental insurance is Plan F and he pays no co-pays at any provider. 

His supplemental insurance is Plan F and he pays no co-pays at any provider.

I believe that Plan F is one of the best plans. 

My husband was 100% service connected so he had VA care as well as Medicare. I have CHAMP & Medicare; CHAMP pays for my Rx (sometimes I have a small co-pay). Sometimes CHAMP pays what Medicare does not such as Shingles Vaccine is covered at 100%. Call CHAMP and talk to them; they told me I didn't need a supplement policy. As ToidBoid stated, just depends what coverage you have with the VA. 

A side note on this thread .. AARP is a large liberal organization. I no longer send them my money. I have joined AMAC Association of Mature American Citizens Go to amac.us to check them out. It is conservative, upholding traditional priciples that made this country great.